


Out of Darkness

by Kyouryokusenshi



Series: Out of Darkness [2]
Category: The X-Files, The X-Files: I Want To Believe (2008)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Colonization, F/M, Family Fluff, Family Secrets, Kid Fic, Post-The X-Files: I Want To Believe (2008), Pregnancy, X-Files Wifegate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2018-08-30 16:25:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8540134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyouryokusenshi/pseuds/Kyouryokusenshi
Summary: Takes place after The Christmas Miracle. It is 2009 and William has just been reunited with Mulder and Scully as they prepare for the birth of their daughter, Melissa. But as Mulder said, the darkness always has a way of finding them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I strongly advise you read Christmas Miracle first to fully appreciate and understand this story. Thanks so much to my BETA, WildwingSuz for helping me with this!!!

It had been just over three months since their son had been reunited with them. They had gained emergency guardianship recently while they worked on gaining full legal custody over the boy. He was adjusting quite well to living with them, all things considered. Mulder had recently finished the nursery for baby Melissa with a little help from Scully's mother. That sort of thing definitely needed a woman's touch and he had to admit that he wasn't the best at color coordination.

Mulder and Scully had spent some time on names and Scully had suggested Samantha, though if he were honest, the mention of his sister still pained him to a certain extent. Then they recalled the little girl they had seen in their dreams being referred to as "Lyssa". The eventually concluded that the little girl's name must have been Melissa, as they doubted it was something like Alyssa. Scully had given her older sister the nickname "Missy", but they had decided their daughter should have her own nickname and "Mel" didn't seem right either.

He enjoyed feeling their baby move and bonding with Scully over her ridiculous cravings. He had to admit, it gave him a break from the evil eye she often blessed upon him whenever he had an indulgent snack or meal. Scully was often restless and uncomfortable approaching her 8th month of pregnancy and end of the first trimester. She had begun "nesting" or what he referred to as "Scully on steroids" with her more anal than usual cleaning.

Tonight, she slept pretty soundly. So much that he had fallen asleep through the night for the first time in weeks. Until he woke up to Scully's startled cry. His heart racing in his chest, he flipped the lights on to see Scully holding her belly in agony. Blood pooled beneath her. "Mulder, call an ambulance…please!" She grunted through gritted teeth.

It was times like this that he resented living in the middle of nowhere. He quickly made the call before coming back to Scully's side, trying as much as he could to talk her through some of the things he learned in that Lamar class all those years ago. To be honest though, it was more to comfort himself. He was clueless and didn't know what was happening.

When the ambulance arrived to take Scully, Will came out of his room rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What's going on?" He looked confused and afraid as he saw his mother on a stretcher by the door going outside and into an ambulance.

Mulder wanted so badly to go with her, but Scully insisted she would be okay. She didn't want to traumatize Will. Reluctantly, he agreed to meet them at Washington Memorial hospital.

Mulder touched his son's shoulders. "It's okay, Bud," he started trying to keep the fear from his voice. "But I need you to do something for me. Can you go get changed and pack a few clothes and essentials for a couple days?"

He nodded slowly before going back to his room.

Mulder pulled his Blackberry out and dialed Skinner's number.

"Skinner."

"Sir, I need your help."

"Mulder? What's going on? Is everything okay?"

He grabbed his temple. "No, something is wrong with Scully and the baby. I need you to meet me at Washington Memorial hospital."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

To Mulder's surprise, Will was waiting for him on the couch, dressed and ready. He could see the fear and concern in his eyes when he asked, "Something is wrong with my mom and my sister isn't there?"

Mulder nodded slowly. He could tell the boy w as intuitive and highly intelligent, but he was still a seven year old boy and he felt the need to protect him from the harsh realities of their life, "I think so, but she's going to a good hospital where they'll be taken care of," he said more to himself than anything.

He nodded slowly and followed Mulder outside to the car.

Will had practically begged him to take the front seat. Mulder hesitated and wasn't quite sure if he was old enough to ride shotgun yet, but he conceded, eager to get where they were going as soon as possible.

The drive was exasperated by the rush hour traffic and he swore it felt like one of the longest hours of his life. If it wasn't for his son in the car, he would be cursing up a storm and speeding through all the lights. He knew it would take them much longer to get to the hospital than the ambulance and he was reconsidering whether he should have just gone with them.

Why the hell had he insisted on living in the boonies? Being on the run and wanted by the FBI, a little voice had said inside his head.

On his way, he called a very worried Margaret Scully who said she would be on her way as soon as she was able.

They eventually pulled up to George Washington Memorial hospital and it took everything he had not to burst through the doors and demand if Scully was there. Part of that was thanks to Will; he didn't want to fighter his son.

He approached the first nurse's station and asked in a hurried breath where Dana Scully had been admitted. The younger woman frowned as he looked them over, Will managing a smile at her.

"Yes and you are?" She looked Mulder up and down as if it wasn't obvious.

"My name is Mulder, I'm Dana Scully's husband and this is her son."

She nodded slowly, finally convinced.

"She's In the ICU undergoing a few tests, but let me page the doctor."

"ICU?" He sputtered to the nurse who was no longer paying attention. That really did nothing to alleviate his worries. He looked down at Will who had taken hold of his hand. If it wasn't for his son, he swore he would have lost his shit already, having been forced to wait like this.

A moment later, a female doctor, about Scully's age had appeared. She introduced herself as Dr. Yao. "You must be Fox Mulder. I'm Dr. Yao. I'm one of the doctor's monitoring Dr. Scully."

"How is she?" Mulder almost demanded, overlooking her extended hand.

Dr. Yao looked down momentarily and smiled at the young boy next to him.

"Dr. Scully is having some complications," she started.

"Yeah, I figured that, but what's wrong with her and the baby?" He said tersely, afraid of the answer.

She looked down for a moment. "The placenta has separated from the uterine wall. She could have lost the baby had she not gotten here when she did, but she may need to deliver early to avoid further complications."

Mulder nodded. "I want to see her right now."

The doctor looked at him sympathetically.

"We're trying to get the bleeding under control and are finishing up some tests, which shouldn't be too long now. I'll come and get you shortly when we move her to a regular hospital bed."

Mulder nodded and turned at the sound of footsteps as Skinner tried to muster a small smile toward William.

"What's happened?" he asked.

Mulder had given him a quick briefing as he paced around the hallway, desperate to see her. It pained him to think she was suffering alone like this.

When the doctor returned an hour later, it felt like it had been an eternity. "Mr. Mulder, you can come with me, please."

Mulder turned towards Skinner and his son.

"Skinner, I need you to do me a favor. Could you stay with Will until Margaret Scully gets here?"

Skinner nodded and Will managed a smile up at him. Mulder knelt next to him. "I'll be back soon, okay buddy. Be good for Skin-man, okay?"

Skinner frowned.

"I want to go with you," he insisted.

Mulder shook his head. "I know you do and you will see her soon, but not yet."

"Okay as long as you promise I can see her soon," Will frowned, unconvinced.

He tried to manage a reassuring smile as much as he could. "I will, I promise."

As the doctor led him to Scully's hospital room, he recalled a conversation he had had with Scully after one of her Doctor's appointments. She told him that at about 24 weeks gestation is when a pregnancy is considered viable. She explained to him that it meant that the baby had a very good chance of survival, should she born prematurely. He still didn't want that to happen of course. Scully was about 32 weeks along now, so he was hoping the chances were infinitely good that the baby would be born healthy if something went wrong.

Though he wasn't the one pregnant, he had grown excited by the idea of having another child with Scully since he missed so much the first round. They would be shattered if something went wrong.

Once Mulder reached Scully's hospital room, he could see her still form visible from the window. The doctor looked over at him and mustered a small smile. "She's a bit out of it due to the mild sedative we've given her, but you can go see her."

He nodded his thanks before entering the room. He thought back to a similar situation before, when she was pregnant with William. She had told him about the complications of her previous pregnancy, but so far everything had been fine this time around until now.

He sat down in the chair beside the bed and looked over at Scully. Her long hair had been tied back and her face was pale, even more so than usual without makeup. One hand was gently tucked around her belly. Slowly and quietly, he reached for her hand and held it between his own.

She was hooked up to several monitors and it seemed like there were cords were everywhere. He could see that there was a monitor tracking the baby's heartbeat and another tracking her own. The strong constant sounds were reassuring.

"Scully," he whispered lovingly. "I'm here." He wasn't quite sure of all that was happening and he didn't really want to traumatize Will until he knew Scully was going to be okay.

A moment later, he watched her eyelids flutter and her gaze eventually settled on him. It seemed to take her a moment to register his presence.

"Mulder?" She whispered, in a complete daze.

She looked so fragile at that moment. Slowly, he stood up and leaned over to kiss her gently on the lips. "Hey," he whispered.

She seemed confused for a moment as she seemed to remember where she was. Then it hit her. "Hi, I didn't want to scare you or William, but I really thought I was losing the baby."

Mulder winced at the memory of the blood. He made a mental note to replace the bedding right away. "I know," was all he could muster.

"Where's William?" She prompted suddenly.

"He's waiting with Skinner; I'll bring him in here. I just wanted to see you first. I wasn't sure what Ito expect. But you're 32 weeks along, right? That's a good sign, isn't it?"

Scully tried to muster a smile, but as she did, she let out an audible gasp and clutched her stomach. Her face was pained as she tried to breathe through the tremors in her abdomen.

Mulder was instantly on his feet. "Scully?!"

In that moment, he heard the monitors make erratic noise and felt his heart race in his chest. He bolted outside. "Help, I need a doctor, NOW," he roared. Scully moaned in pain as he tried to hold onto her and tell her that she was going to be okay.

It seemed like another eternity before a few nurses and doctors joined them. Mulder stood back helplessly.

He heard one of the doctor's say something about a total abruption and that the baby was losing oxygen. He wasn't a doctor, but he knew the baby was in trouble, especially by the sob Scully let out. "My baby, you have to save my baby," Scully cried out tearfully.

Mulder shoved his way through and grabbed Scully's hand. "It's going to be okay," he whispered as soothingly as he could. She tried her best to nod at him and he used his free hand to brush a long strand of hair from her face.

"She's going to need a cesarean section immediately," one of the doctors announced.

Mulder felt a lump in his throat as he felt himself being pulled back. His heart was breaking at the sound of Scully's fearful sobs. "I love you, Mulder," she whispered. "And William too. Please," her voice broke.

"No, Scully! You're going to be okay."

"Don't leave me, Mulder. You have to...don't let them take the baby," he knew the medication was probably making her somewhat delirious. Her concerns were perfectly valid though after everything they had been through.

He felt someone try and pull him away and he nearly threw them off.

"No!" He growled

Figuring they didn't have the time to spend arguing, the doctors and nurses decided to get to work. They needed to move Scully to the operating room.

One of them ordered Mulder to scrub up if he was going to be in the room during the operation. Mulder's mind and heart were racing a mile a minute. For the first time in a long time, he realized he was truly terrified. It was entirely possible that he might lose his wife and child today.


	2. Chapter 2

Mulder had been terrified throughout the entire ordeal. The baby was losing oxygen and Scully was in tears the entire time as they numbed her lower half to perform the cesarean section. Scully was barely conscious when the bundle of red was lifted from her womb. She fought back tears at the sound of squealing that was her baby. As it was moved away from her, she tried to call out to Mulder, but all of her strength was gone and she eventually lost the battle and slipped into unconsciousness.

Mulder was livid; he could barely recall screaming as one of the nurses held him back and threatened to make him leave if he didn't cooperate. He was so beside himself that he hadn't seen them whisk the baby away momentarily. All he could focus on was how one of the doctor's said Scully had lost too much and needed a blood transfusion. They wouldn't let him stick around for that procedure and he could only fight so much as he watched them take Scully away. He was only vaguely aware of doctors saying something about blood being harvested from the umbilical cord at Scully's request. He couldn't even think about that right now, but Scully must have made sure all avenues were covered beforehand.

He was caught by surprise a little while later when a younger nurse approached him and placed a crying bundle in his arms. Momentarily, he couldn't help but feel anger towards this tiny creature. He blamed it for Scully's suffering. However, when he finally caught a glimpse of her ginger hair and pale skin, he felt his heart drop and he was overwhelmed with love for this tiny Scully lookalike.

As he digested all her features, he felt ashamed and guilty that he could possibly feel any resentment towards his tiny daughter. When she finally opened her eyes, he swore eyes that matched his own were staring back at him. His breath caught in his throat as she let out a tiny whimper from her premature lungs. Somehow he knew she wanted her mother.

"Hey now, it's okay," he found himself crooning. "Everything is going to be alright. "

He barely got to see the baby for another nurse instructed him that the baby needed to go to the NICU as her lungs were premature and she needed to adjust to the transition between life in the womb to the outside world. He was reluctant to let the baby go, afraid he was breaking his promise to Scully for not being with the baby 24-7 while she couldn't.

However, the reality was that the baby was only 4 pounds and several weeks premature. She needed a feeding tube and breathing support for a little while at least. He felt his heart breaking as he let the baby go, but the nurse had promised him she would show him where he could find the baby and that once Scully was able, they encouraged skin to skin contact to help speed up the development process.

He wiped away several stray tears he hadn't noticed had fallen down his cheeks. He hadn't felt this powerless in a long time. Mulder went to find Skinner, William and now Margaret Scully waiting in the lobby. She was the first to approach him and pull him into a tight hug. He could tell she had been crying all while holding a cross in between her palms. He suspected she must have been made privy of everything that had happened, if the look on her face was anything to go by.

"How is she, Fox? Will she and my granddaughter be okay?"

Mulder hesitated before nodding. "The baby is several weeks premature, but she'll have to be in the NICU for a little while to speed up the development of her organs, according to the doctors."

Maggie waited anxiously for Mulder to continue and she could sense that he was just as worried as she was. "Dana lost a lot of blood," he whispered so Will couldn't overhear the conversation. "She needed a blood transfusion. I'm waiting to hear when she's in recovery."

Maggie nodded tearfully. "Can you come with me, to pray for them?"

Mulder wasn't a religious person by any means, but he felt he owed it to the older Scully woman out of respect for her and her daughter whom he loved more than anything.

He walked over to Skinner as well and briefly relayed the conversation to them in a way that wouldn't scare his son too much.

"Are they gonna be okay?," Will asked, fearfully.

Mulder tried to manage a small smile. "I hope so, but your mom is one of the strongest people I know and if that's anything to go by, I'm sure your sister will be fine too."

He nodded, regarding him with eyes that looked so much like Scully's own blue depths. His facial structure was all Scully, but he had chestnut brown hair and mannerisms that reminded him so much of himself. For a moment, he hoped his daughter wouldn't end up with his nose either.

"Can you do me a favor, Bud, can you go with Skinner and stay with him and Kim for and little while?"

"But, I want to stay here. I want to see my mom and sister. You promised," he arched a Scully - like eyebrow.

It brought a smile to his face. "I know, and you will soon, but not now. They both need to rest as much as they can and get better."

Mulder ran his hand through his son's hair and nodded his thanks to Skinner after he said he would call before they departed.

He followed Mrs. Scully down the staircase to a small church section of the hospital. Thankfully, they both were alone as Mrs. Scully guided Mulder to the front of the altar and held onto one of his hands as she started to pray. This reminded him so much of when Scully had been abducted all those years ago and they were praying for her life. Only this time, they were praying for her life and for the life of one of their children. So he found himself praying to a god he never truly believed in to have mercy on his family.


	3. Chapter 3

About twenty-six hours had passed since Scully had delivered their daughter and had the blood transfusion. Mulder hadn't been able to hold their child since. He spent a lot of time between watching her in the incubator of the NICU and with Scully, hoping she would wake up soon. They informed him it was precautionary and procedure for babies who were weeks premature. They also insisted she was healthy, but would need to remain in the NICU to help speed up her growth process before leaving the hospital. Apparently, she was on a type of steroid to help foster and speed up her lung and other organ growth.

He barely understood the medical speak and wished Scully was awake to translate it for him. The doctors informed him she was stable and could wake up at anytime now. He sighed as he watched her steady breathing while her messy strands of strawberry blonde hair fell loosely around her face and her mouth hung open slightly. With one hand around hers, he reached his other one over to gently caress her face. "Scully," he whispered softly. He gently leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. He sighed and sat back in his chair. He was so lost that he couldn't recall when they brought his daughter to him after several requests. It was a nurse who briefly explained the importance of skin to skin contact or "kangaroo care" in preemies. He held her close to his chest and gently rocked her. Her features were just slightly more defined than the red screaming potato that was born yesterday. He held his daughter as if she were a porcelain doll. She mewled with a pair of premature lungs as she opened her eyes. The eyes that looked back at him matched his own. They weren't blue like Scully and William's. "Shh, it's okay. None of that. You'll wake your mommy," he whispered. Though he secretly hoped Scully would wake soon so he could assure himself she was okay.

Scully was elated being a mother. But what the most difficult thing was for her was seeing her daughter off for preschool and her son off to middle school. Melissa was just three and a half, but she was potty trained and emotionally ready for the challenges of preschool. Scully had missed many of Will's firsts, but she had walked him to his first class, much to his embarrassment. "Mom, I'm eleven now, you don't need to walk with me."

His hair had grown out a little so it hung just slightly over his ears much in the same way as Mulder these days. She reached out and lovingly tucked it behind his ear. He was nearly as tall as she was now. "Love you," 'my sweet boy' she thought as she quickly kissed his head. He grunted and fidgeted with embarrassment. "Ew, gross."

Scully couldn't help but laugh. Typical preteen boy. "Have a good day, sweetie."

She smiled as she watched him run off to his class from the entrance.

Saying goodbye to her daughter was more difficult. She had never seen a child off to their first day of school before. She had missed that with William.

Melissa was obvious to Scully's frazzled nerves. The little girl she worried about a little more so than William. She was small and fragile, and reminded her a lot of Emily. There were always lingering thoughts and fears of someone harming her. Until now, she only had Mulder as well as trusted family and friends look after her daughter. She didn't like the idea of some stranger looking after Melissa before she was old enough to talk. If someone hurt her in any way, she needed to know. After meeting her little girl's teacher, she took her daughter off to the side for a moment. "Sweetheart, what's the most important thing Mommy wants you to remember?"

"I want to go with Mommy!" The small ginger haired girl shouted and folded her arms in a position that reminded her very much of herself. She smiled.

"I know, but Mommy has to go to work to make sick people better. You have to stay here and learn new things and make friends."

Melissa pouted, but seemed to consider this.

"Mommy is gonna save all the sick kids in the hospital."

"That's right, baby girl. I'll be back soon."

Before Scully could stand up, her daughter reached out to her neck and she had a sudden flashback of her Emily as Melissa reached for her cross pendant. "You want to wear it and keep it safe for Mommy?"

The little girl rewarded her with a big smile. "Yes! Lyssa takes care of it for Mommy, I promise!"

Scully felt her heart swell as she removed the necklace and put it on the small version of herself. "Remember, it's a gift from Grammie, so you can't take it off, okay?"

She nodded once more before Scully gave her a kiss goodbye.

When Scully returned to the car, she avoided looking at Mulder when he asked if she was ready. She was letting the tears fall, he knew it.

"They'll be just fine."

"I know," her voice wavered.

Later that day, Mulder went to pick their daughter up since Will wasn't out of school quite yet. "Daddy!" A voice had cried out to him before attaching itself to his leg.

Mulder was startled momentarily as he smiled at his daughter. The first thing he noticed was Scully's necklace and how big it looked on their daughter. "How was your first day, Angel?" It was one of his favorite nicknames he had given her other than Lyssa. She could have been a Missy, but Scully felt that should forever be reserved for her sister.

"Good."

When Mulder had spoken to her teacher, he found out that Melissa spent much of the day shouting to the world that her mommy was a doctor and that her daddy spent his time searching for aliens. Mulder couldn't help but redden at that. He was still trying to determine if that would be a good or bad thing amongst her preschool aged peers. He only hoped the teacher didn't already think he spent time in the crazy house.

Scully jolted. She stole several glances around the room before concluding where she was. She relaxed as her eyes came to rest on Mulder who was holding a tiny bundle in his arms.

"Mulder," she whispered.

"Hey, sleepyhead," he chuckled in attempt to ease her racing thoughts.

"Hey, yourself," she said as Mulder simultaneously moved forward to kiss her lovingly on the lips. It lasted longer than he had anticipated with their baby awkwardly between them in his arm, but he savored the taste of the woman he was so afraid of losing.

"Where's William, Mulder?" She asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

Mulder smiled reassuringly as he looked from the love of his life back to their tiny second miracle.

"He's with your mom," Mulder quickly continued when he saw the worry cross her features.

"Don't worry. Skinner installed a very complex security system in her house yesterday. He was able to arrange it to be done the same day. I definitely owe him one... I'll probably be indebted to him the rest of my life."

Scully smiled at the bundle in his arms. "Now I've waited long enough, let me see my baby," she demanded.

Mulder smiled at her tone and had to wonder how long she had been watching him. He gently shifted the baby and placed her in Scully's waiting arms. Melissa was apparently upset by the motion as she made a face of discontent and let out a cry from her premature lungs.

Scully knew that sound and it had just occurred to her for the first time since she had been awake that her daughter was a few weeks premature. Scully looked down lovingly at the bundle and gently rocked her. "Hey, it's okay," she whispered. "Mommy's here... Mommy's here." Scully gently kissed the top of her downy head.

Mulder had only see that look on her face one other time in his life and it was when she had introduced him to Will for the first time. Before all their lives were turned upside down when he had to leave.

Scully studied her baby as she opened and closed her little fists and then slowly opened her eyes and gazed back at her mother. "It's still a little too soon to be sure, but I think she has your eyes, Mulder." She gasped in amazement.

"Yeah, but she's a little Uber Scully for sure, you can tell by the pouty face she's making."

That earned him a small laugh from Scully. "You better consider yourself lucky all these IVs are keeping me from reaching out and making you regret you said that."

It felt like an eternity to Mulder as Scully gazed at her daughter; taking in every feature and fussing over her in that way she always did when she was checking something or making sure he was okay after taking a beating. Something else was there too, something else he had grown to notice over the years in Scully's features: guilt. She was blaming herself for their baby's rough entrance into the world; he knew it. She knew as a doctor that these things happened, but her feelings as a mother weren't that logical.

A short time later, much to their dismay, one of the nurses came in to take Melissa back to the NICU. Scully very reluctantly surrendered her baby, but not before kissing her and whispering sweet things to her one more time.

Mulder reached for Scully's arm and he could tell she was holding back tears. He knew this was an all too familiar feeling for her. "Hey, she's going to be fine, okay? They're taking good care of her."

She did her best to manage a smile in response. If Mulder was convinced she was fine, then she would be.

Shortly after that, they were presented with Melissa's birth certificate. Mulder noticed Scully had started to fill it out when she had first arrived at the hospital. "Melissa Sam Scully-Mulder?" Mulder gasped skeptically at Scully.

"Well, I was going to use Melissa Ann, since we agreed Melissa Samantha doesn't flow quite right together. But since William's middle name is Fox...I figured Melissa Sam is suitable and it flows better."

Mulder smiled. "I still don't understand why you bestowed my name even as a middle name on our son, poor kid." He playfully shook his head before another thought occurred to him as he signed the birth certificate. It was something he hasn't been able to do the first time around.

"Once the custody process is finalized, do you think Will might want to change his last name?"

Scully smiled brightly. "Well, if signing all of his school work as William Scully-Mulder is any indication..."

Before Mulder could respond, there was a knock on the door and Doctor Yao came into the room.

"Doctor Scully, I'm glad you're awake and seem to be doing well. Your daughter is doing great too."

She could apparently see the begging question in Scully's eyes. Mulder figured it must be some mysterious doctor speak.

"Don't worry, Melissa is doing quite well. Though she is about 6 weeks early, I don't anticipate she'll be staying long. She is on a steroid to facilitate lung development and she's already made improvement in the last 24 hours. We did harvest the sample you requested for your son's stem cell treatment and had it transferred to uh..." she looked down at her clipboard. "Our Lady of Sorrows, where he's been treated."

Scully smiled. "Yes, that's right."

Dr. Yao looked at them again and smiled broadly. "Well, we'd like to keep you a few more days for observation and then you'll be free to go. You're also doing really well after the transfusion and the cesarean section, so I don't see any reason to keep you longer than that. You're a fighter and so is your daughter. She must take after her mom," she winked at Mulder.

"Speaking of moms, someone is here to see you, so I'll have the nurse come up in a while to check on a few more things."

Not a moment after the doctor exited, the door burst open and Scully's mother along with William flooded the room. "Dana!" They both shouted in unison. Her mother had told Will to be careful of the IVs as he early threw himself into Scully's chest and hugged her tightly. Her heart was overwhelmed with love for this little boy she was getting to know.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

She managed her best smile. "Yes, you don't need to worry about me."

He watched her as if assessing her comments carefully. "My sister too?"

"I hope so," Scully said more in a way to convince herself than anything else.

Scully had grown to love the way William referred to her as "Dana", it was always spoken fondly and full of love in a way that reminded her of when his father would call her that. She didn't expect him to adjust to calling her "mom" right away and would wait until he was comfortable in due time.

According to Mulder, though, William would refer to her as his mother everywhere he went or whenever he was talking to someone. She was perfectly fine with that. She was just so happy that they were all finally a family together that the details didn't matter. Scully often had dreams of the four of them and she sometimes wondered if Mulder did as well. She'd have to remember to ask him sometime.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Scully was released a week later. Melissa, however, couldn't come just yet. It took a few days for Scully's milk supply to come in, so they had to supplement with formula initially. When she was able to breastfeed, the post birth contractions had been rather painful. Melissa had been transferred to Our Lady of Sorrows where Scully could carefully watch over her and where Will could receive his final treatment simultaneously. Mulder wasn't happy about Scully being back on her feet that quickly, let alone going back to work so quickly...even if it was just paperwork she was catching up on for a couple hours, but it was typical. It was always the answer when she was struggling with something; she always immersed herself into her work to escape.

Will had grown frustrated from not being able to see his sister, so Mulder had brought him to see her in the NICU shortly before he would receive his final treatment. He didn't blame his son; he knew until now that Melissa hadn't been quite real to him . Before she was born, she was just an idea to him. He remembered being able to hold and touch his own sister almost immediately when she was born. Mulder frowned at the memory. He wondered how different things would have been if she was still alive. It was his hope that his son and daughter would never know that same pain.

Will looked at the tiny baby inside of the incubator. "Will I ever be able to hold her?"

"Yes, once she's a little stronger. But babies, especially ones who are born too early, can't be exposed to too many people just yet. She's not used to the outside world just yet and could get sick very easily."

Will seemed to consider it and nodded slowly. Before they could make any further observations, Scully opened the door and smiled warmly at them. She was wearing a girdle around her waist that concealed her post partum bump for the most part.

She clearly wasn't expecting them both in this room. "Hi," she whispered, looking from Mulder to William. Will rewarded her with a small smile.

"Are you ready, Will, honey?"

Though he nodded slowly, Mulder could sense the apprehension that both Scully and their son shared.

Their son looked once more at his baby sister, fast asleep inside of the incubator, before following them out.

A short while later, Will was prepped and ready for his final surgery that was expected to rid him entirely of the illness. A colleague of Scully's, whom she highly regarded, was taking over this last phase of William's treatment. Before they wheeled him away into the operating room, however, Scully had insisted that she have a few minutes alone with him. Her colleagues understandably obliged. Her son looked at her in that way he did many times previously during past treatments. Before she even knew he was hers. "Are you okay?"

 

It was then that Scully had realized that the tears had started to fall and she was vaguely aware of Mulder putting his arm around her shoulders for support. She tried her best to manage a smile. Despite Will's circumstances, he was more concerned about what she was feeling than the painful and intense treatments he’d had to endure over so many years.

 

"Yes, I'm...I'm okay," she whispered, more to herself than anything else.

"You don't need to worry about me...Mom," he tried to smile. "I'll be okay. Lyssa needs you both so she can get better and come home."

Before Scully could respond, one of the nurses came out. "I'm sorry, Dr. Scully, but Dr. Lee needs to get started on the stem cell transplant."

She quickly wiped the tears from her face and nodded as she collected herself. She leaned down again to Will. "We'll be here until you come out, okay? We're not going anywhere."

Mulder placed his hand on Will's shoulder and whispered, "You'll be okay, Buddy." William smiled back and nodded.

Mulder held tightly onto Scully, who he knew was desperately fighting the urge to run into the operating room. Before, she had been able to hold it together. She was Doctor Scully and he was her patient. It was easy for her to lose herself in her work and transform herself into the calm and collected Dr. Scully. Though she did occasionally go cry in a corner when no one was looking. But it was different this time was different. This was her son and she wasn't prepared for these emotions. And the imbalance of hormones from just giving birth days ago didn't help matters.

 

She buried herself into Mulder's chest in attempt to conceal her emotions. His heart broke as she let out heart wrenching sobs. He knew the rather invasive surgery on their son and their daughter being in the NICU was taking a toll on her mentally and physically. She shouldn't be working, let alone be on her feet. He wrapped his arms protectively around her small frame and lightly kissed the top of her head. "Hey, it's going to be okay," he whispered. "They're going to be fine." He was thankful they were alone in the hallway of this hospital ward.

Scully seemed to relax a little at this as she tried to collect herself. She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. Mulder frowned as he reached a hand up and brushed away a few small tears. "Well, I have work to do, Mulder."

That earned her deeper frown. "Dana," he said in a disapproving tone. "You should be resting."

That earned him a faint scowl. "No, I can't, Fox. I can't sit around while our children are in here!" She had raised her voice a bit louder than she intended and looked away as some passersby looked in their direction.

Mulder opened his mouth to argue, but Scully had made herself clear. "I need to work."

Without waiting for an answer, she pushed past him and headed down the hallway, presumably back to her office as he stood staring after her.

He sighed in resignation as he watched her go. He absently reached for his phone to text Skinner and decided to hit up the cafeteria for a cup of coffee when he felt someone brush roughly against his shoulder. It was then that he realized he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. "Oh, um...I'm sorry," he muttered quickly before he glanced up. When he did, he felt a weird sense of deja vu. In front of him was a female doctor, probably around Scully's age, but a little taller. She had dark hair that was pulled back tightly into a bun and eyes to match.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a quick smile, but before she could continue on her way, Mulder reached out and touched her shoulder to stop her. "Wait!"

She turned back towards him in slight confusion and maybe a little annoyance at the interruption. She probably had important doctor business to attend to, Mulder thought.

"Really, it's fine, I have to-"

  
"I've seen you before," Mulder cut her off.  
She studied him for a moment.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, sir."

  
Mulder sighed. "It was about six months ago, at the FBI Headquarters...I saw you in the hallway. Look, I used to be an FBI Agent."

  
"I'm not sure what to say, it must have been someone else, Mr...."

  
"Mulder. My name is Mulder."

  
"Mr. Mulder, they say we all have an identical twin out there. Maybe that's what you saw. Now, I have a surgery to attend to."

  
Mulder pulled back when he realized his hand was still on her shoulder. "Right, sorry," he said, still not entirely convinced.

  
Before she turned to walk back down the hallway, she smiled. "Wait, Mr. Mulder, you're Doctor Scully's husband, right?"

"Not in the widely understood definition, but yes. And you are?"

"I'm Dr. Waters, I'm new to this hospital, but I hear she's an outstanding Doctor here and a world class physician. I hear her children are both here receiving treatment. I hope you're able to take them home soon."

"Thanks," he said awkwardly. "Me too."

  
"Now, if you'll excuse me."

  
"Of course."

  
As Mulder watched her disappear, he was still certain that he had seen her at the FBI. If it really was her, she clearly wasn't telling the truth. He wondered just how new she was to this hospital. Scully often mentioned some names of her colleagues and Waters never made the list he was sure. But she was obviously familiar with Scully. Then again, who wasn't? Scully had been the one to cure Sandhoff's disease on her own son, unbeknownst to her. Mulder shrugged and had made a mental note to look into Dr. Waters a bit more later.

To be continued....


	5. Chapter 5

Several days later, after Will's last successful stem cell transplant treatment, they were ready to go home. In fact, baby Melissa was also cleared to go home with them since her lungs had reached optimal maturity and ideal body weight. Scully was ecstatic she would finally be able to have their little family go home and Mulder was thrilled to sleep comfortably once again in their own bed. As much as they could anyways. He knew many sleepless nights were ahead, but it wouldn't change much considering he was often awake with insomnia anyways. Scully needed to be off her feet as much as possible for at least another couple of weeks. Will would also need to spend some time recovering as well until the surgical wound on his head healed entirely.

Mulder could have sworn he had never seen Scully as happy as she was now. Her long strawberry hair had fallen loosely bout her shoulders and she had changed back into her regular clothes. Their tiny daughter was now fast asleep in her arms as they made their way with a wheelchair to their son's room. Mulder rapped softly on the door before opening it to see their son sitting on the bed. He was wearing a hat over the bandage on his head. Scully had helped him change earlier and he was playing a small gaming device Mulder had gotten him for Christmas, to Scully's slight dismay. When he saw them walk in, he quickly put it back in his bag.

"Hey Buddy," we have someone we'd like you to meet." Will looked at his father, unfazed, until he saw his mother come in from behind his fatherm. He couldn't help but smile back at his mother whose face was filled full of love as she smiled at him and then back to the bundle she was carrying in his arms.

"That's my sister, Lyssa?"

"Yes, sweetheart, it is. You're both coming home with us today."

"Is she okay? She's not sick anymore?"

Scully shook her head. "No, she's perfectly healthy and so are you. Did you want to hold her?"

Will look skeptical for a moment. "I don't want to break her. She's so small." He looked from the tiny bundle in Scully's arms to Mulder.

Scully laughed heartily. It was probably the most wonderful sound Mulder had heard in a long time with the exception of his newborn daughter.

"You won't break her, you just have to be careful. Here, I'll sit next to you, okay?" Mulder moved to sit next to his son as Scully gently handed the baby over to Will, instructing him how to hold her properly. Mulder wrapped his arms around Will to help support him. Once she was situated, Scully sat on the other side of Will and smiled to herself as she drank in the sight before her. Melissa, however, wasn't too happy about being moved from her mother's arms and started to squeal in discontent. However, as she opened her eyes and caught sight of her big brother, she quieted and stared back at him. They stayed like that for what seemed like the longest time that Mulder and Scully looked over at each other. It was almost as if they were communicating telepathically. Scully was so elated that she didn't want to think about that right then.

Mulder was shocked Scully hadn't insisted on driving like usual. Instead, when they pulled up to the front of their home, her head was resting on his shoulder from pure exhaustion. She really needed to rest. He glanced back at his children, who shared the same expressions as Scully. Unfortunately, he had to wake her. He couldn't carry them all inside by himself.

"Dana," he whispered softly.

"Hmm?" She stirred and it took her a moment to process her surroundings. Too many days had been spent in hospitals, but they were home for the time being. She had decided to use her maternity leave.

She smiled when she looked over to see Will leaning against Melissa's car seat. She could only hope that the next decade would be this easy, she and her siblings had often fought like cats and dogs.

Scully had carried the baby inside while Mulder carried Will and a bag of baby things on his other arm. Will had shifted, but remained asleep, so Mulder had decided on bringing him to his room and laying him down on the bed to let him rest. Mulder had retrieved the infant bassinet from the nursery and moved it for the time being into their bedroom, so they could monitor their sleeping daughter closely. Scully wearily made her way into her their son's room and tucked the covers around him with her free hand before smoothing it over his head.

When Mulder brought in the last of their things, she made her way towards their bedroom and carefully set Melissa down in the bassinet. Thankfully, none of the commotion of arriving home had awakened her.

"She sure is a deep sleeper, I hope my insomnia genes don't rub off on her," Mulder said as he wrapped his arms around her Scully from behind.

Scully smiled. "You should be happy she doesn't seem to have your nose, yet."

"Hey, don't jinx that poor kid," Mulder teased as he looked at his sleeping daughter in awe. She was beautiful and had reddish blonde hair, just like Scully.

"I'm exhausted, Mulder. I'll need to express again in another few hours, but for now I need to lie down."

"I could use a little nap myself; let's get changed into something more comfortable... but I'm always most comfortable with nothing at all," he winked.

"Mulder," she blushed shyly.

She settled for her silk nightie, a size larger since becoming pregnant.

Once she lay down, Mulder lay next to her in just a pair of briefs as usual. She gasped slightly as Mulder tried to hold her from behind.

Realizing he touched the surgical site, he quickly pulled back. "I'm sorry, Scully, did I hurt you?"

"It's okay, Mulder, just a bit higher."

Mulder placed his arms around her chest. "Oh Baby, that shouldn't be a problem," he said as he playfully nibbled her earlobe.

Scully grimaced. "Oh Mulder, please don't tell me you're bringing back that beard!"

"What have you got against Mr. Scruffy, Doc?"

Scully laughed and couldn't believe how content she felt. Her eyes came to rest on small form of their infant daughter, who was sleeping contentedly in her bassinet.

"Melissa, she was really fascinated by William wasn't she. You don't think they have some sort of connection, do they?"

Mulder hesitated. "You said he had powers..." he started carefully. "When he was a baby."

Scully seemed to consider. "But your... Spender, injected him with magnetize to suppress his alien DNA. That injection could have also caused his terrible illness."

"Hmmm," Mulder mumbled. "Well, if they do, it's better than worrying about sibling rivalry...though I think the age difference might help some with that."

As usual, Mulder could hear her thinking. "Get some sleep, Scully."

Sure enough, she was comforted by that fact and allowed her exhausted body to doze off.


	6. Chapter 6

Shortly after they returned home, Margaret Scully had paid a visit to help Mulder and Scully, as well as see her granddaughter for the first time. Maggie had brought them some frozen meals and planned to stay with them for the next week or so. Of course, the older Scully woman was elated to be a grandmother once again. She had surprised them with a baby blanket she had made with the baby's first and last name. "Oh Mom, you didn't," Scully said as tears welled in her eyes. She was still fighting those crazy hormones and probably still would while she was breastfeeding.

"She's my only granddaughter, I can't help it."

Scully couldn't help but think what her life would be like had Emily lived. She wondered if William would have been born. Like herself, Scully's mother didn't have the chance to meet Emily, but she understood that her mother mourned the loss of a grandchild she never knew. She understood what it was like to lose a child. Maggie Scully was elated when her daughter said she was going to name her baby Melissa.

While Mulder had gone out to run an errand and Will was resting in his room, Scully watched as her mother held the baby, unable to take her eyes off of her. "She's such a miracle, Dana," she whispered as she watched Melissa look back at her while she made babbling noises. Scully smiled and her heart swelled as she watched them both. "I know, Will loves her too. She took to him immediately. I'm honestly a little scared they might be communicating in a way Mulder and I can't understand."

Maggie sat next to her daughter while she held Melissa. "You had concerns about William, I know you had to give him away for reasons I can't understand. I know that he's special, but they're both gifts from God, Dana."

Scully wasn't always certain about that, but she nodded.

"Are you having any trouble breastfeeding?"

Scully sighed. "No, everything is just fine," she said as she reached for her baby. "She does have jaundice and is slightly underweight, but otherwise perfectly healthy." Melissa instantly curled against Scully's chest and her heart was overflowed with love.

"So," Maggie started. "Do you know when you'll get her baptized?"

Scully actually hadn't thought about it. She did have William baptized in the short time she had him as a baby. Even though she didn't go to church much, she still did it as part of the Catholic tradition and also to placate her mother's wishes. "When Will has recovered from his treatment and when her immune system is strong enough to handle the public," she responded as she rubbed the baby's downy head.

Meanwhile, on Mulder's shopping run, he had decided to meet up with Skinner to do a little investigating on the mysterious woman who appeared at Scully's hospital. He had casually asked Scully about her, but that ended up being a dead end. Scully wasn't familiar with her since Dr. Waters had just started working there around the time she was on maternity leave.

He knew Scully would kill him if she was aware he was investigating this woman and he didn't really have a lot of basis other than the coincidence of crossing paths in the Hoover building all those months ago. Besides, she didn't really need any more to worry about at the moment. Not with their children at home needing rest and recuperation.

The meeting took a little longer than he hoped and he only hoped that with Margaret Scully at their home, Scully would be entertained enough not to notice his longer than usual absence.

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

A few months had passed and things had gotten slightly strained between Mulder and Scully as Scully started to notice Mulder's old patterns and habits return. While a part of her accepted that searching for answers was part of who he was, she was always terrified of what it did to him and she was afraid of the danger it would put their family in. However, she could tell he was keeping something from her this time. She decided to let it pass for now as she went back to resuming her work part time. Will had made a full recovery and went back to school while Maggie came over from time to time to see her grandchildren.

A storm was headed their way that night, so Scully had left work early to relieve her mother so she could get home safely. Of course, Mulder had yet to return. Scully knew he was doing his share of profiling and private investigator work, but she was growing worried. She was able to get Will to sleep by nine and after several worried calls and texts to Mulder, she started on some paperwork that she needed to be taken care of while she listened to the rain begin to tap the rooftop.

A few hours later, Scully awoke from her place at her desk to the sound of crying on the baby monitor. The wind outside had picked up and she could hear tree branches tapping against the roof of the farmhouse while it came down outside. She sat up slowly and realized she must have dozed off as her clock read 12AM. As she got up and made her way down the hallway, she could see Mulder's still form on their couch, much to her relief. He must not have wanted to wake her.

Scully sighed and pushed open the door to the nursery. What she didn't expect was to see William holding the baby. He appeared to be comforting her, rocking her. "Will, what are you doing awake? It's okay, Honey, you can go back to sleep," she said placing her hand on his head.

Will looked from his mother to his baby sister, who was clearly unsettled. "Lyssa is scared, she doesn't like the thunder and lightning."

It was then Scully heard the crackle outside, startling her and it sounded deathly close to them. It was late summer, though, so storms at this time of year weren't uncommon. She looked back to her whimpering daughter and concerned son. "She was afraid," he continued. "So I came to comfort her."

Scully was usually a light sleeper, so she wondered how Will had gotten to her before she did and she couldn't help but take note of the fact that Melissa seemed to be put at ease while William held her. She forced the worried thoughts away. "It's okay now, sweetie. I'm here, you go back to bed now, okay?"

Will nodded reluctantly as his mother took the baby from him and went back towards his room. As the wind picked up and another crackle of lightning sounded outside, which was too close for comfort, Melissa began to cry again. Scully went to sit in the rocking chair nearby and kissed the baby's downy head. "Oh sweetie, are you scared? It's okay, Mommy's here," she whispered lovingly as she rocked her. Scully didn't want to admit that she was in awe of how Will seemed to be so connected to his sister and if she admitted it, it was a little scary too. He always seemed to know what she was thinking.

Later that next morning, Mulder seemed to be more on edge than usual. Scully wasn't sure if it was the weather, or just work or what. She had a day off and she was taking full advantage of it. "Mulder, talk to me," she insisted, trying not to show her frustration that he had come home so late last night. "You didn't answer any of my calls, I got worried," she admitted.

Mulder couldn't look her in the eye and she knew he was up to something. "Dammit, Mulder, I know you. I know this is who you are and I don't expect you to change that, but I know you're keeping something from me. I was up for hours, worried about you. What's going on?"

Mulder, finally looked up from a newspaper at his desk. He glanced over to see Scully standing behind him, as she always did whenever she had something important to tell him or needed to lecture him. She always had her arms crossed, her long strawberry blonde hair falling about her shoulders as she gave him the "I'm dead serious" look that wasn't to be contended with. He honestly loved how motherhood seemed to make her look slightly fuller and not overweight by any means, but she had a softer, more subtle appearance. His thoughts changed quickly as he considered the matter at hand.

He knew he couldn't keep any secrets from her. "Scully, how well do you know your colleague, Dr. Waters?"

Scully thought for a moment and then looked back to him. "Not well. I've talked to her briefly on a few occasions, but she started working at the hospital after I went on maternity leave. Why?"

Mulder looked away. "Scully, do you remember passing a woman in the hallway at the bureau about nine months ago?"

Scully scoffed. "Mulder, there were a lot of people in that building. Most of them staring at us suspiciously, I was trying not to notice."

"Well, she was there, Scully. Dr. Waters, your colleague."

Scully sighed with frustration. "So that's why you were investigating her, Mulder? Because she passed you in the hallway?"

Mulder didn't respond. He knew that if he admitted to Scully that she bore considerable resemblance to Samantha and that their coincidental passing encouraged him to look into her background, she would just tell him he's looking for things that aren't there. He didn't want to face her judgement again. Not until he was sure.

He did however, know that Dr. Waters was adopted and her birth record indicated she was born the same year as Samantha. The date, was different however. Though, it was easily possible she could be using another identity to protect herself. It would make sense why he would never have been able to find her. Samantha had a death certificate. Though as Scully kindly put it, it hadn't stopped him from looking for her.

Melissa's cry from the living room had interrupted them both, as if she somehow sensed the tension between them. Mulder knew one thing with certainty though. He couldn't do this without Scully's help.

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Scully could sense Mulder was shifting back into his usual habits. Even though she admitted to herself that the darkness would eventually find them, it scared her to death after each and every time he chased after some blind lead in search for the truth. It was honestly times like this that she wished she had someone to talk to, someone besides her mother who could understand the complexity of the situation. She found herself suddenly missing Monica Reyes. They had visited briefly during Christmas and Scully imagined Monica and John were probably having their baby anytime now, if they hadn't already. She needed to talk to someone though and there was no reason they had to hide anymore.

The next day, the weather had cleared up some and Scully went about her business at the hospital as usual. She passed by the office of Michele Waters, wondering briefly why Mulder was suddenly so interested in investigating her.

Once she got to her own office, she found herself on her computer digging into her background. From what she could tell, there was nothing really out of the ordinary at first glance. She had a great reputation as a doctor and was married with three children. It was always peculiar when new physicians started working at Our Lady of Sorrows. Scully had not only chosen it because of her faith, but because of the time it was low key once she had established residency and worked while Mulder was still in hiding. She sighed and decided to get on with her day. She was still having some separation anxiety from being a way from her children, but she needed to work to preserve her sanity as well. She was grateful that she had been able to reconnect with her mother. In a way, she still felt guilty that William's adoption had created a rift between them, even though it was slowly disappearing.

Scully had a procedure to perform on a young patient that day and without fail, after she changed into her scrubs, she found herself worried about her own children. Whenever Mulder went out, Margaret Scully would come over and stay with Will and Melissa after picking him up from school. While Melissa was close to Mulder and to William, she had a hard time being separated from Scully for long periods of time. She had to resist the temptation to text her mother and ask. She found herself placing her hand on her now flattened stomach and while her abdomen had healed from the surgery, she often still searched for the baby that wasn't there. Scully knew she was experiencing some symptoms of post partum depression and that hadn't made it any easier to watch Mulder kept secrets from her lately.

"You okay, Doctor Scully?"

Scully was startled by the sound as she didn't hear anyone else enter the locker room. How long was she daydreaming? She quickly dropped her hand and closed the locker. She looked over to see Dr. Waters staring at her with concern. "I'm fine, thank you," she said, not caring to elaborate.

The dark haired woman closed the distance between them and opened a locker nearby Scully.

"You miss them, don't you?"

Scully regarded her closely, unsure if she wanted to reveal her weaknesses and vulnerabilities to a colleague she didn't know well. She always prided herself on being a private person. Not many people knew much about her life until they discovered one of her patients was her own son. "Can I help you with something, Dr. Waters?"

The other woman seemed to shrug of her icy tone. "I have three children. The youngest is five. I know it's not easy leaving them."

Scully looked at her for a moment, letting her walls drop for a moment. She didn't understand why this woman was of interest to Mulder. She was around the same age as herself, but slightly taller with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. At that moment, she wondered why she hadn't realized it. She looked like an older version of Samantha Mulder.

Stunned by Scully's silence, she smiled. "Well, let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you," Scully finally managed . Dr. Waters quickly exited the locker room, much to her relief.

She was overwhelmed with emotions and when she passed Father Ybarra in the hallway, she decided she wasn't ready to hear anything he had to say just yet. To his credit, he had been nicer than usual since hearing about the complications she had with her baby. She just wanted to get on with the day. In between a few consultations, Scully made a call to Monica Reyes. She had left a message saying she hoped everything was well with their baby and that she wanted to talk whenever she had the chance. She could have called Doggett, but she didn't want to worry either one of them if they were getting ready for the delivery of their own child.

After Margaret Scully picked up William from school, she told him to get started on his homework before playing. He did as she instructed, but when he returned to the living room to ask his grandmother about having a snack, she was fast asleep on the sofa. After some thought, he decided to get it himself, but the problem was that the pantry was still slightly out of reach, even at eight years old. Frustrated, he decided to wait a little longer before waking Grammy up. Suddenly he heard something shoot out of the cabinet and into his grasp. He anxiously looked over towards Maggie Scully, who was, shockingly, still fast asleep. He looked from the open cupboard to his hands, where box of graham crackers now sat. His eyes grew wide at first with fear and then excitement.

He quickly tiptoed out of the room before Maggie Scully noticed anything unusual. He headed towards the nursery, where he could sense his baby sister was growing restless and missing their mother. He opened the door and quickly turned off the baby monitor as to not disturb Maggie. Melissa was inside of her crib, looking up at her brother expectantly with a goofy smile as he shoved the crackers into his mouth. Melissa cooed at him, as if she sensed his excitement. It never failed that Will always seemed to be an endless source of curiosity for his sister. "Hey Lyssa," he whispered. "I got something to show ya."

She was starting at him with full concentration. He knew she was too young to understand what he was doing or saying, but he relished in the fact that she was always fascinated by her older brother. When he had her attention, he pointed at the UFO mobile above her crib until it moved on it's own. She gurgled with excitement at William's new trick. "You approve?"

She cooed in response and he put the side of the crib down before he reached inside to pick her up. He sensed that Melissa was yearning for Scully as she turned her little head about the room. "Hey, it's gonna be okay, sis. Mom will be home soon, okay?"

At the end of what seemed like a long stressful day and a lot of questions from prying colleagues, Scully eagerly pulled up the long driveway to her and Mulder's home. She hated what the attention of having a new baby brought to the workplace. To her dismay, it looked like Mulder wasn't home yet.

When she opened the door to her home, she was greeted by her mother who was holding Melissa in her arms. Behind her, she could see Will was watching one of his favorite TV shows. "Hi Dana, how was work?"

Scully smiled as she went in and set her bag on the couch. "Overwhelming. Colleagues whom you've never talked to are suddenly interested in your home life when they find out you've had a baby and that one of your patients ended up being your biological child."

Maggie smiled sympathetically and looked down at her granddaughter who immediately caught sight of Scully. She was reaching her little arms out expectantly and wore a huge grin on her face as she crooned. Scully felt her insides and frustrations melt immediately as her heart swelled with love. It was then that she noticed that her tiny daughter had Mulder's smile.

"Hi Sweetheart," she cooed as she took the baby from her mother's arms. She held Melissa tightly to her chest as she kissed and gently rubbed her tiny head.

Maggie smiled. "She's very taken by you, Dana. Sometimes it seems like she's searching for you when she looks around everywhere. She idolizes her big brother too."

Scully knew it was common for babies at this age to be especially attached to their caregivers and immediately family. It still warmed her heart to know how much unconditional love children could give.

It was that moment that Will had chosen to remove himself from the TV and run toward the front door. "Mom! You're home, Grammy made dinner for us. When is Dad coming back?" Even though Scully's arms were full with his baby sister, he threw his arms around her waist and held her tightly. It was a moment Scully didn't want to pass. At the mention of Mulder though, she frowned and Will seemed to pick up on her hesitation. "He's coming home soon, right?"

"I'll call him, okay, honey? Why don't you help Grammy set the table."

Will nodded.

"Did you do your homework?"

"Yes, Mom."

Maggie could sense something was off between her daughter and Fox, but she would wait to bring it up until later when William wasn't within earshot. Scully had pulled out her phone and simply texted him. "Come home soon, please."

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Scully tossed and turned restlessly before she heard the door open slightly. Mulder was home. She was both worried and frustrated. "Mulder, where have you been?" 

Mulder could sense the annoyance in her voice. "I'm sorry, I got caught up on a lead," he said as she felt the mattress sink down under his weight. She sat up to see him facing the opposite direction. After Mulder kicked off his shoes, he sat for a moment, contemplating. He didn't want to admit it, but he needed Scully's help. 

Scully took a deep breath and decided to get right to the point. "You're investigating her, because she reminds you of Samantha," she said simply.

For a moment, he said nothing. 

"Dana," he started. "I know what you're going to say," he continued, still not looking at her. "You're going to tell me she's dead and not to keep looking. I know you think I'm blindly searching for something that isn't there," he finished.

Scully said nothing. What could she say other than that he was right?

"I have a DNA sample," he said. Before she could object, he continued. "Once, I have an answer, I can stop looking."

Scully knew that was only partially true. He would never stop searching for his sister until he found her. "Fine," she snapped and before she could say anything more, she could hear Melissa start to cry on the baby monitor. She felt her breasts begin to throb as a result. She sighed as she pulled the covers off and made her way down the hall to the nursery.

The baby looked up at her expectantly, instantly relieved at the sight of her mother. "Hi, Sweetheart," she whispered. 

Scully gently picked her up as she moved to sit in the rocking chair nearby. Gently, she lifted her breast from her nightgown and into the baby's hungry mouth. 

Shortly after she fed the baby, Mulder surprised her by walking into the nursery. 

"Can I see her?" 

Scully was surprised by the question. "Of course you can," she said as she gently moved the baby into his expecting arms.

Scully's heart throbbed at the sight of them. Despite their differences, she knew Mulder would always be the one she trusted as much as herself to protect their children. 

"I uh, left the samples on the table."

Scully looked away. She didn't want to argue, not right now. She knew the darkness would eventually find them, just like Mulder said it would. However, the fact that he was actively seeking it out bothered her. He really could find a conspiracy in a church picnic. Instead, she watched the love of her life hold their youngest child while the oldest slept peacefully down the hall.

The next morning, Mulder left shortly after Scully had gotten up and taken Will to school. She didn't have to be at the hospital until later that morning. Scully decided to fix herself a bagel while she waited for her mother to come over. Her typical bagel thin with low fat cream cheese. She grew frustrated as she thought about Mulder's request. What she didn't expect while looking over at the sample near her work bag, was for the knife to come right down on her index finger. "Dammit! Shit, SHIT!" She screamed. 

 

She fumbled to for the closest paper towel to wrap her bleeding finger in. Not surprisingly, she had succeeded in waking Melissa. The crying, however, was louder than usual. She groaned as she applied pressure to her finger and made her way to the nursery. Melissa seemed to grow quieter as Scully approached, and attempted to reach her little arms towards her. Scully managef to pick her up with her free arm as she made her way towards the bathroom. The baby quieted and stretched her arm out insistently, as if she were reaching for something. 

"What is it, sweetie?" She asked as she struggled to find what she needed in the cabinet. The baby cooed and stretched her hand out again towards Scully's other arm. As Scully moved to touch her hand with her good fingers, the little hand held onto hers. Hey grip was surprisingly strong for an almost 4 month old baby. She gasped as she felt a warmth from her baby's hand that she never felt before. The feeling was indescribable. A moment later, she pulled her hand back gently and was shocked to see the blood on the paper towel completely vanished. 

She gasped as she looked over at her daughter in shock. Melissa smiled and giggled in response, clearly impressed with her abilities. Scully, however, was appalled. She knew there was a possibility her second child might be special in some way like William was. Still, she tried to push that thought from her mind. Was a normal life for them both too much to ask for?  
To be continued....


	10. Chapter 10

Scully had the test results rushed and to be quite honest, it had been one of most stressful days in her career as a doctor. From diagnosing terminally ill patients, to the condescending Father Ybarra and the anticipation of the test results. The incident with her daughter was also one of her more immediate concerns. Melissa was special, just like William. But William no longer had powers, did he? She thought back painfully to the time when Jeffrey Spender, Mulder's half-brother, injected William with magnetite and claimed to have cured any trace of alien DNA. She thought that she and Mulder could finally protect their children now that they were together and away from the FBI, but now she wasn't so sure and that fact terrified her. At the end of her shift, she held the envelope containing the DNA results in shaky hands and slowly opened it.

Scully's head was spinning and she walked slowly through the parking garage, carrying her briefcase and coat, which was thrown over her arm. She felt dizzy and tired and couldn't wait to get home. As she reached her Taurus, the sound of voices across the way caught her attention as she unlocked the car and opened the door. She looked up in a daze and craned her head above the parked cars nearby to get a closer look. She, however, was not prepared for what she saw next. 

"Your name isn't really Michelle, is it? Your name was Samantha! We lived together on the Vineyard and our parents were William and Teena Mulder!" Came Mulder's pleading voice.  
Scully could see Mulder grab onto Dr. Waters' arm.

 

"Fox, you're hurting me!"  
Scully was not used to hearing Mulder being called by his first name, especially by another woman. She couldn't help but feel the heat of jealously plague her mind.   
She’d heard enough. "Mulder," she cried out, startling them both. 

Mulder looked like a deer caught in headlights. They both did.

"What's going on here?" Scully demanded, though she knew fully well what she was seeing in front of her. 

Mulder pulled back when he saw an envelope in Scully's hand. Thinking about their earlier conversation, he decided to be blunt. "It's her, isn't it, Scully?"   
She looked away for a moment. "No, Mulder. I'm sorry. She's not your sister."

Scully studied Dr. Water's for a moment. Her face was difficult to read. She couldn't tell if the woman was shocked or relieved.

Scully watched them both for a moment. Mulder let go of the woman, but still seemed to be in shock. She couldn't handle the sight of them. She knew it was ridiculous, but more importantly, she couldn't handle the idea of Mulder losing himself in the darkness again. Especially now that they had more at stake. She bit her lip to suppress the sudden onset of emotion and turned back to the opened door of her car.

She could hear Mulder call after her and forced herself to not look back as she quickly pulled out of the parking space. 

When Mulder returned home hours later, they said nothing to one another. William could tell something was wrong be between his parents, but didn't say anything for fear of further agitating the situation. He knew his mother was keeping something from his father because she was afraid, but that was all he knew. Melissa could sense it as well.  
Once Scully left for work the following day, Mulder noticed that she had left some files behind in her hasty departure. It had been a few hours since she left and she hadn't returned nor called him. Maybe she didn't need them today? He sighed. He knew she was upset and he was glad the kids were with Maggie today so he could have some time to think. He sat down with a cup of coffee at the table that they rarely used with the exception of the kids and maybe Margaret Scully, when she was babysitting. The wording on the forgotten files caught his eye. It was his name. Knowing he was most likely breaching some sort of HIPPA law, he opened the file. It had never stopped him before and he wasn't going to start now. 

His eyes scanned over the charts inside with an idea of what he was looking at, though he was far from being a doctor. One sheet of DNA results was labeled with Dr. Waters' name in addition to the one with his own. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn they matched. That only meant one thing. Scully had lied to him. But why? He knew she couldn't stand what looking into the darkness did to him, but he counted on the fact that they were always open and honest with one another...until recently. He fought the urge to tear the sheets of paper in half. Instead, he found his hand on a vase nearby and sent it flying across the room. The loud smashing sound of the glass hitting against the wall made him feel only slightly better. He sat and stared across the room at the mess for what seemed like an eternity before he decided to clean it up. The shock and pain of betrayal hit him like a million bricks. 

 

Scully only had a few appointments to tend to that day. Shortly after she’d gotten to work, she realized she had forgotten several of her files on the dining table at home. She wanted to do more analyzing on Dr. Waters' blood. If she were being honest, she wasn’t quite sure why she suddenly denied the fact that this woman was his sister…or at least shared DNA with his sister. It was too plausible for this woman to be another type of clone or a hybrid. Seeing them together made his obsession more real to her, however. She was afraid of losing him again and though she hated to admit it, it also made her feel a twinge of jealousy at the idea that she might not be the most important person in his life anymore. 

Thankfully, she had finished up all of her paperwork already and could head home. She felt terrible about keeping things from Mulder, but she was afraid of what knowing who this woman really was would do to him. She was surprised to see Mulder was still home when she pulled up to the front of the house. It had been raining all day and she was dying to get inside and warm up. She was glad they had a few more hours to themselves as she needed time to talk with him. She hated it when they argued. 

Scully took a deep breath to mentally prepare herself for what was to come. However, she still wasn’t ready for this conversation, no matter how hard she tried to summon the strength to do it. She went inside as she always did, though this time the house was shrouded in darkness. It was overcast outside, so surely one light should be on. She glanced around, figuring she would find Mulder in his office. She slipped out of her damp coat and hung it up before moving to switch on the lamp on one of the end tables.  
"So, when did you plan to tell me?"

Scully gasped and jumped slightly in surprise. She turned to see Mulder standing in a dark corner on the side of the room. "Mulder, you scared me. Why is it so dark in here?"

He moved towards her in a way that made her slightly uneasy. She looked towards the dining table, where her files should have been, but weren't. She closed her eyes.

"Why did you lie to me, Scully?"

This wasn't how she wanted to start this conversation. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Mulder. I was going to tell you today."

"We're supposed to be honest with one another. You betrayed my trust."

"I was afraid with what knowing would do to you. How is that any different than the numerous times you've hidden things from me for the same reasons?!" She shot back.

"This has been my whole life cause, Scully; the reason we searched for the truth for so many years and everything we sacrificed so much for."

She knew he was right. If his sister was never abducted, they wouldn't be standing here. Most likely, they would have never met and that thought hurt, even though Scully had lost so much to the cause. 

"I know, but we have a family now, Mulder, I can't-" her voice broke before she could finish. 'Lose you again' she thought.

"I'm sorry, Scully. I'm not sure when...or if I can get past this."

Before she could say another word, he disappeared into his office with the slam of the door, leaving her alone in despair. She moved towards the couch and sank down, holding her head in her hands as she cried softly.

To be continued.....


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks so much to WildWingSuz for being my BETA and keeping me on track with this! Hope you guys are enjoying. I have so many plans for this story!

The next few days had been difficult for Scully. Mulder had been doing his best to avoid her. Scully knew he was still angry with her for lying to him, so she rarely saw him in between her shifts. She couldn't help but notice that her colleague who shared the DNA of Samantha Mulder had disappeared. It hurt her that Mulder was shutting her out, even though he had plenty good reason. Today happened to be Saturday and miraculously, she had the day off.

While Mulder wasn't home, she enjoyed spending more time with her children. Scully did have some light paperwork to tend to, so she decided to set Melissa down for an early afternoon nap. William spent a lot of his free time, when he wasn't doing his homework, out in the seemingly endless acreage behind their unremarkable home. She kept the back door open so she could check on him at all times. Sometimes he would take his toys out, play ball or just explore what the yard had to offer.

"William, remember the rules about not going out of sight," she reminded him gently, but firmly. He smiled at his mother who stood in the doorway.

"I know, Mom, you don't have to worry." Scully smiled. William seemed more comfortable calling her Dana, but she savored these moments. He usually only called her "Mom" when he was trying to convince or reassure her about something. She understood, he was eight years old and up until his eighth birthday, he had been used to calling someone else Mom. Thankfully, the window in Scully's office faced the backyard, so she could keep her eyes on her son at all times.

He was very adventurous, just like his father, she thought as her heart fell momentarily. She also kept a baby monitor next to her, so she could hear any noise that came from the nursery. As she got caught up in her work, which she often did in an attempt to keep her emotions at bay, she glanced over to a family photo she kept at her desk since William had come back to them.

She had few photos of her and Mulder together where they were all smiles. This was one of them. This photo was taken when she was about six months pregnant. She stood in Mulder's loving arms with William right in front of her. This was her favorite photo yet. They had just gotten their son back and were having another baby. She couldn't recall being more excited than she was at that moment. Why did happiness have to be so short lived? What was Mulder getting himself into? Scully lost track of time in between her paperwork and thoughts. She glanced out the window and didn't see William in sight, which brought her into instant panic mode. As much as she loved Mulder, she resented that trait at times like this. She had been so immersed in her thoughts that she had forgotten to check on William.

She bolted up from her desk and rushed out of the room. However, she was startled by a sudden movement in the corner of her eye. Before she could react, she felt herself being slammed into the wall of the hallway. It had been about seven years since she had to defend herself that her skills were a bit rusty. To make matters worse, she didn't have a gun within reach. Her assailant had manage to pin her against the wall, despite her swift attempts to get away. She couldn't see a face as he pressed her against the wall roughly from behind. "Let me go! Who are you?! Why are you doing this?!"

A moment later, she could hear Melissa's piercing cry ring throughout the house and she felt her blood run cold. In that moment, she felt herself back in her apartment years ago along with the intense fear and rage for the threat to her child. "William!" She cried out. "WILLIAM! What did you do to my son?! If you hurt him, I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do." Scully struggled against the grip on her wrists.

Her assailant pressed his hand against her mouth.

"Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be, Doctor Scully." She didn't recognize the voice, but it sent chills down her spine. She wished she had been able to get a good look at him before he grabbed her and held her against the wall with his bodyweight. He easily overpowered her. She screamed, but it only came out as muffled sounds. "You shouldn't have interfered...your husband knows too much." Her assailant's phone rang and he momentarily eased his grip on her, allowing her to shove him back as hard as she could. She turned momentarily to see that he was wearing a mask. "You bitch!" For a moment, she was torn between going to look for William and getting her daughter. She couldn't leave Melissa behind. She needed to get her and get out.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she bolted towards the nursery. Painful memories kept pressing their way into her thoughts, momentarily distracting her from the task at hand before she was fueled with anger. Just as she reached the baby's crib and caught a glimpse of Melissa's red [SF1] face, she was pulled back by her long hair and thrown into the wall. "NO, please!" She cried. She saw her attacker near the crib and she threw herself on him as hard as she could, knocking over a lamp in the process. "You won't hurt my baby! I'll kill you!" She felt her back hit the dresser hard as her attacker shoved her off and planted a fist into the side of her jaw, hard. She felt her vision sway as she saw stars.

She felt confused momentarily as she heard her attacker's voice once again.

"Doctor Scully, I don't want to hurt you or your children, but I will do what I need you in order to get you to cooperate."

The attacker seemed to be distracted by Melissa's shrieks and she took that opportunity to lunge forward at him. He was prepared, however. With a swift motion, he pulled something from his jacket pocket and planted it right into her neck before she threw him back into the furniture. She gasped and crumpled to the floor, her vision slowly escaping her. "You BASTARD," she spit out.

She felt him grab onto her shoulders and begin to pull her up. Scully blinked several times and fought against the sedative that was rendering her helpless.

"Please…please…" she started with a frantic whisper. "Don't hurt….my children..." The words barely escaped her mouth before she slipped into unconsciousness.

William had ventured further than he knew his mother would have liked. But he had seen a cat. He never had a cat or dog before, but some of this friends at school had pets. If only he could convince Dana and Mulder to get a pet, he knew Melissa would love it too. "Where did ya go, Kitty?" He said out loud as he darted into the woods.

Just then, the sound of his mother's voice stopped him in his tracks. He was in trouble, wait...no. Something was wrong. There was something familiar in the sound of Dana's voice that he couldn't quite place, but it brought him back to a bad place and he knew something was seriously wrong. A moment later, he could feel his sister's fear. She was calling for him in that way she only knew how as a helpless baby. Only they could communicate this way since she was special just like him. He could see through her eyes that Dana was fighting to keep someone he couldn't recognize away from her. His mother and sister were in danger. He ran back towards the clearing, instantly regretting that he had taken off so far. He needed to help them. "Mom!" He cried.

As he ran back to the house as fast as his small body would take him, he stopped at the sight of a beam of light purging from the sky downwards towards his home. He was torn between fear and amazement. Moments later, however, the light was gone and he remembered he had to get to his mother and sister.

When he reached the house, however, he could no longer hear his mother's voice. "Mom?!" he called out, trying his best to hide the fear in his voice. He was trembling as he entered the house.

Images of his mother screaming and yelling, desperate to get away from her attacker plagued his mind as he passed though the mess. He looked everywhere for some sign of his mother, but she was nowhere to be found.

The cries of his terrified sister remained. He went to the nursery to get Melissa and then went to look around for his mother. "Mom?" The sound of silence was unnerving. It wasn't until after he picked up Melissa that he realized he was shaking in fear.

Melissa had calmed down some, taking some comfort from being in the arms of her older brother, but William was terrified. Someone had taken his mother. The next task was one of the most difficult things he had ever done. He called 911 and also his father, whose number he had learned by heart, but Mulder did not answer. This didn't surprise him much as his father didn't seem to be around a lot lately, which he knew bothered his mother.

The operator on the end of the 911 call told him help was on the way, but it did nothing to calm his fears. He held his sister close and began to cry. All he felt right now, was helpless and alone.

To be continued….


	12. Chapter 12

Undisclosed location

“Why did you lie to me before?” Mulder asked the woman next to him in his car. They had parked off the main road, behind some bushes and trees that obscured them from any onlookers. Neither of them really had anything to hide.

“I’m sorry, Fox, but I have a family now and no one can know that we know each other…it’s bad enough that Doctor Scully knows.”

He looked intently at the woman who was supposed to be his sister. She had shoulder length brown hair and hazel eyes that matched his own. She looked very similar to the Samantha clones he met in the past.

“But you died, I saw you in that field.”

She shook her head. “That’s what he wanted you to believe.”

“Who?”

“You know who, our father. He’s still alive.”

“No, that’s impossible. He died in that bombing in New Mexico seven years ago. Scully and I watched it happen. You could be another clone for all I know.”

Michelle, who shared so many similar characteristics and mannerisms to himself, looked down at her folded hands.  
“He just wanted you to stop looking for me.”

Mulder shook his head. “But I never stopped searching…you can even ask Scully that.”

Before either of them could say anything more, Mulder heard the startling ring of his cell phone. Irritated by the disruption, he quickly fished it out of his pocket. Normally, he would have ignored the call as he had been doing all day, but something in his gut told him something wasn’t right. He flipped it open and angrily huffed, “Hello?”  
But what he wasn’t prepared for what he heard next.  
\--  
The Unremarkable House

William sat in his room, shaking. He was terrified and anxious. His sister whimpered in his arms. He knew his mom had given him up for adoption to protect him. He knew he was different, but he never understood why. He was beginning to remember though. Bad people had come after him when he was a baby several times and each time, his mother always fought to protect him. This time was different though. Someone had taken her away.

He knew that help was on the way, but they lived far away from most other people, so it was taking longer than usual. 

“It’s okay, sis, it’s gonna be okay,” he whispered, but more to comfort himself.

A moment later, the sound of the front door opening, followed by a creak of the wooden floors made his blood run cold.

He just knew it wasn’t the policemen coming to save him. He ran towards his window, but not before the door opened, followed by a puff of smoke.  
“Don’t be afraid, William,” the raspy voice croaked. 

William gasped and shook in terror as he tried to use his free arm to force the window up.

He turned and looked in the direction of the unfamiliar voice. 

“Who….who are you?!” he asked shakily. 

A tall, old man stepped in front of the door. He looked hideous and disfigured like from a scary movie.

He held a cigarette in his hand and puffed smoke out of his throat.

Melissa began to cry again and he swallowed hard as the stranger responded.

“I’m your grandfather, William.”

William was confused. He only knew about his Grandma Maggie. His mother had told him that he had two uncles and some cousins, but the rest of his mother and father’s family had passed away.

Something told him not to trust this man. He could be one of those bad people that came to hurt him and took away his mother.

“I don’t believe you,” he stuttered. “Where is she?! Where is my mom?! What did you do to her?!” William’s voice broke and he tried not to show his tears to this man.

The old man wasn’t fazed. “Ah, you sound just like your mother and your father. You look just like both of them too. Amazing.”

The sound of sirens disrupted William’s thoughts and he looked towards the window once more. When he looked back, however, the old man was gone.  
Did he imagine it?

To Be Continued…..


	13. Chapter 13

Mulder had asked Skinner to keep the kids with him as he didn't want to worry Mrs. Scully, plus it was too dangerous. He didn't want to leave them, but the best thing he could do was find their mother and bring her back to them alive. Skinner had his choice of words about Mulder getting himself into more trouble without backup, but he was going, one way or another.

"This is it," Michelle said in the seat next to him. "He brought her here, I'm sure of it."

After seven hours of driving, Mulder had driven them both into Spartanburg, South Carolina. He grew more anxious as time pressed on. He needed to get to her.

Mulder put the car into park a safe distance from the property she had pointed out. Michelle got out of the car and followed closely behind him.

"Why did you agree to come with me?" Mulder asked.

"It's my fault they took her, Fox."

Mulder shook his head. "Don't say that."

He pressed onward and moved around the expansive property. Michelle stayed low behind him as Mulder peered in through windows for any signs of life.

"There's a granny unit behind the house, I think she might be there."

Michelle went to move ahead of him as they pressed through the tall grass behind the property. It was quiet, too quiet. There should have been sounds of the passing breeze, birds, cars or animals nearby, but there wasn't.

Mulder's heart jumped into his chest as he heard muffled sounds coming from the cabin they approached. He started as he heard the crunching of leaves nearby and felt a sick feeling come over him.

"GET DOWN!" He screamed as he heard a gunshot pierce through the dead air, throwing himself down onto his stomach.

He lifted his head ever so slightly. "Samantha?!!"

Bile crept into his throat. When there was no response, he leapt to his feet against his better judgment and that was when he saw it. Blood and lots of it pouring from the body in front of him amongst the overgrown weeds.

"You don't give up do you," came the amused voice from behind him.

Mulder whirled around, clenching his fists. "I'm going to kill you, you bastard."

"Oh, I don't think so. Not as long as you want your beloved Scully to live."

That was when he heard the muffled sound ahead. He pretended to look away towards it and then whirled on the smoking man, knocking the gun from his grasp.

Carl pushed Mulder back as he dove to the ground, knocking him off balance slightly, but Mulder didn't let up as they wrestled for the additional weapon. Carl used his other hand in an attempt to grab Mulder's weapon. Mulder was faster, however, and took the opportunity to put a bullet in between the smoking man's eyes as he stared back at him in shock. He sank to the ground with a thud.

Mulder lowered his weapon slightly. "That was for Scully," he growled. "And Samantha."

He sighed, glancing between the bodies before remembering what he came for.

"Scully!" he cried out as he raced towards the cabin. It was locked of course, so he threw his weight full force against the door, breaking it down.

In the corner, he saw Scully bound by rope to a chair and her mouth cloth bound.

She was crying at the sight of him and he rushed over to help her. Thankfully, he kept a pocket knife in his jeans and he pulled it out and cut off the cloth that was bound around Scully's mouth.

"Oh God, Mulder..." she cried. "William, Melissa..."

"They're fine...they're with Skinner and Kim," he assured her as he got to work on the rope that bound her to the chair.

"I'm so sorry, Mulder...so sorry."

He stopped in that moment to cup her face. "You have nothing to be sorry for...I'm sorry, Scully. For everything."

Scully could see the pain in Mulder's eyes and she knew something was terribly wrong.

He continued to work the rope until she was free and she jumped into his arms, holding onto him for dear life. Mulder threw the rope to the ground and wrapped his arms tightly around her as he silently vowed to never leave her again.

Scully cried into his chest for a few minutes before pulling back slightly. "Let's get out of here."

Mulder nodded and gently steered her towards the doorway, his hand never leaving her shoulder.

Scully came to a stop in front of Samantha's body and it took her a moment to realize who she was and why she was with Mulder.

Scully turned back to Mulder, tears filling her eyes and gently placed her hand on his arm. "Oh Mulder, I'm...I'm sorry. I should have believed you."

Mulder said nothing as Scully turned back towards the body and that was when she saw another body behind his sister's. She held no remorse for that man, however.

"Let's go," he said.


	14. Chapter 14

When they returned home, they were surprised to see Mrs. Scully in addition to Skinner. The older woman embraced her daughter immediately. "Oh, Thank God," she started to cry and Scully did as well. "I was so scared, Dana."

"I'm okay, Mom, I promise," she tried her best to regain her composure as she pulled back and offered a reassuring smile.

William had come into the room upon hearing their voices. He was carrying his baby sister. "Mom, Dad!"

Mulder knelt down and hugged his son. He took his daughter into his arms before William ran into his mother's arms.

"Mom, you're okay!"

"Yes, I am, Honey," she assured.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm okay, promise." Scully kissed his forehead.

William looked up, seemingly satsified with that answer and nodded.

Melissa began to cry, making her demands known. Scully recognized that cry that was reserved for when her daughter wanted only her mother. Mulder moved closer to Scully as she reached for the child in his arms. "It's okay baby girl, mommy is here," she soothed.

The baby instantly quieted down upon hearing her mother's voice.

Mulder proceeded to tell Skinner everything that had happened. "I have reinforcements on the scene, Mulder," he explained. The older man could tell his agent was holding something back. "Agent Mulder?"

"I found my sister, but she died trying to protect us."

Skinner's mouth opened in shock, but he simply nodded.

The funeral arrangements had been made in the following week and Mulder had decided it best that she be buried next to his parents. It was finally over...or so he'd hoped. The chain smoking bastard cheated death once before, but they had his body this time. His sister would get the honorable burial she deserved. It was bittersweet, finally getting to see her after all those years before she was brutally taken from him once again. However, he and Scully had another shot at happiness and his family was the only thing that mattered to him now.

He was finally going to stop and get out of the car and live a normal life.

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long hiatus! I didn't want to be 'that person' and ghost the story completely so I tried to figure out a reasonable way to end.


End file.
